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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26928943">Chain Reaction</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottonyharrison/pseuds/nottonyharrison'>nottonyharrison</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Keep Telling Yourself That [period] Good Girls prompt fics and ficlets [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Girls (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/M, Prompt Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:28:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,300</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26928943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottonyharrison/pseuds/nottonyharrison</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The figure in the mirror is a shadow against the LEDs, and her heart jumps as he puts his hand into his jacket pocket.</p>
<p>She lets out a long breath as she sees his illuminated face, and flicks the door lock. He walks around the front of the car and gets in the passenger side.</p>
<p>“Need a ride?”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beth Boland/Rio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Keep Telling Yourself That [period] Good Girls prompt fics and ficlets [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>32</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Chain Reaction</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>deadlyladynightshade asked:</p>
<p>Rio and Beth have an ugly fight where lots of stuff is said that may or may not be hurtful on both sides. Beth storms home and refuses to answer his texts or calls and he is forced to hunt her down a few days later. Beth, shaking with emotion: "I had one man keep me in the dark about things for YEARS, I will not go down this path again with you." Also: They still have not defined the relationship</p>
<p>This was originally posted as part of one work that was to archive all of my prompt stories. I've decided to go the series route instead, so sorry if you've already read this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Swish… swish… swish..</em>
</p>
<p>The wipers and the passing traffic are the only sound in the car for ten minutes, until it pulls into the driveway and Beth shoves the door open and gets out, slamming the door.</p>
<p>Then the only sound is his loud exclamation of <em>fuck</em> as he watches her storm to the front door and slam that too.</p>
<p>A light goes on upstairs.</p>
<p>He sits for a few moments and then drives off.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>She’s driving down the freeway when it happens. First the dashboard goes dark, and then the headlamps go as well, so she pulls of onto the hard shoulder and pops the hood. She figures it’s just a fuse, but after five minutes of holding her phone with one hand and digging around behind the dash it starts to rain, and she gets back into the car.</p>
<p>She doesn’t call Dean, not wanting to disturb the kids so late at night. So she calls Ruby, and then Annie, but neither pick up.</p>
<p>She’s trying Ruby for the third time when a black Maserati pulls up behind her and someone steps out. It’s a man. She can’t tell if anyone else is in the car as the headlights are blinding her to the interior, so she locks the doors and hunkers down with the key in the ignition.</p>
<p>The figure in the mirror is a shadow against the LEDs, and her heart jumps as he puts his hand into his jacket pocket.</p>
<p>She lets out a long breath as she sees his illuminated face, and flicks the door lock. He walks around the front of the car and gets in the passenger side.</p>
<p>“Need a ride?”</p>
<p>“I forgot to renew my triple A.” He smiles and leans back against the headrest. She looks at him out of the corner of her eye and lets her phone drop into her lap. “Yeah, okay I need a ride.”</p>
<p>“I’ll call a tow, get it dropped off at the dealership.”</p>
<p>‘Alright.”</p>
<p>He leans over her and she shivers as his arm brushes hers. “Get out, I’ll take you home.”</p>
<p>“Yeah… Yeah okay.”</p>
<p>It’s not until they’re sitting in his car, all leather interior and soft blue lighting, that she stops and thinks for a moment.</p>
<p>“Wait… are you following me?”</p>
<p>He pulls out into traffic and doesn’t say anything. The cars go past like nothing has happened, and he makes a call to someone and asks them to move the van. “Yeah, yeah the gps I just sent you… I don’t know check your fucking google maps.”</p>
<p>“Are you <em>tracking </em>me?”</p>
<p>His hands grip the steering wheel a little tighter and he presses his lips together. “Ain’t no thing, ma. Just chill ok?”</p>
<p>“<em>Chill?</em> You’re watching everywhere I go on your goddamn phone and you want me to <em>chill?”</em></p>
<p>They down off at the exit and he doesn’t say anything for a few minutes. She can see his jaw twitching and his index finger is tapping against the wheel.</p>
<p>“Look, here’s the thing…” He glances at her briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. “We’re getting along right now, okay, but just ‘cos we’re in some kind of truce right now doesn’t mean I trust you.”</p>
<p>“you don’t trust me.” It’s not a question.</p>
<p>“Remember that time you got me arrested? ‘Cos I do.”</p>
<p>“<em>You…</em> don’t trust <em>me.” </em>She starts clawing at the door but it won’t open.</p>
<p>“What the fuck are you doing? The car’s moving.”</p>
<p>She puts her hands on her thighs and digs her fingers in. ‘Pull over.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“<em>Pull over.”</em></p>
<p>He slows down and pulls into a parking space outside of a strip mall. There’s only one traffic light working on the block, and she thinks twice about getting out of the car.</p>
<p>“What thinks you have the <em>right</em>–”</p>
<p>“I don’t know, Elizabeth.” His voice is loud in the small space, and he turns to her his back rigid and eyes burning. “I don’t know, what do you think gives me the right? That time you stole from me, or the time you lied about getting rid of your little problem, or maybe that time you - and I’ve said this once already - <em>got me arrested</em>… because trust me I am still dealing with the fallout from that shit.”</p>
<p>So she gets out of the car and he does the same. She’s looking over the roof, arms gesturing as she shouts. “I didn’t deliberately steal from <em>you</em>, and everything else you’re all pissy about is a direct result of <em>your </em>activities, <em>not </em>mine. Take a fucking look at yourself and learn what a goddamn consequence is.”</p>
<p>His eyes go icy and she shivers as he starts walking around the bonnet.</p>
<p>“Get in the car.”</p>
<p>“No thanks, I’ll call an Uber.” He’s getting closer.</p>
<p>“Get in the car.”</p>
<p>He’s standing right in front of her now, close enough to touch but so far away. She shakes her head.</p>
<p>So he grabs her shoulder and pushes her in, and they don’t talk after that.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>It’s weeks before she sees him again, and when she does he’s in her space and she doesn’t like it.</p>
<p>it’s eleven o’clock on a Sunday morning, and she’s sleeping in. there’s a knock on the french doors that lead to the yard. She huffs and sets her book down on the covers. She can see the outline of a figure behind the sheers and decides to ignore him. A minute or so later her phone pings.</p>
<p>
  <em>Can you please. Open the door.</em>
</p>
<p>She sighs and gets out of bed, puts on her slippers, and grabs her robe. She doesn’t open the door, just pushes back the curtain.</p>
<p>He’s holding two cups. “Your coffee’s going cold and it’s freezing out here.”</p>
<p>“You dug your hole, go lie in it.” She lets the curtain drop.</p>
<p>There’s a small thud, and she can see his outline sliding down the door, back leaning on the glass. She mirrors his position on the other side and sits down on the floor.</p>
<p>“I didn’t do it to hurt you.” His voice is a little muffled. “I just… what I do means I gotta keep on top of things, okay? And we both know you’re a bit of a liability.”</p>
<p>She bristles, but can feel resolve slipping.</p>
<p>“I know what you’re doing right now, you’re getting all incredulous and pissy but don’t pretend I’m not right.”</p>
<p>She picks at her fingernails and bites her lip.</p>
<p>“You were right.” There’s a pause and she can hear him taking a sip of his drink. “None of this wouldn’t have happened if I wasn’t who I am, but you’re the one who left your pearls on my doorknob so don’t pretend you don’t have a part to play in this too.”</p>
<p>He’s silent for a minute or so.</p>
<p>“Look, there’s something going on here. I know it and you know it, and who knows what the fuck it is because it’s insane but I miss you. Jesus, Elizabeth I <em>want </em>you and it’s driving me nuts.”</p>
<p>She sucks in an uneven breath, and her stomach drops.</p>
<p>“Tell me I’m lyin’.” His voice is husky and a bit quiet, and she hears a rustling and the shadow from the other side moves until she can see the light casting it across the bedroom floor.</p>
<p>She gets up and opens the door. He’s half way down the stairs but turns around when he hears the click of the latch. She’s shaking, and her voice cracks as she speaks. “I had one man keep me in the dark about things for YEARS, I will not go down this path again with you.”</p>
<p>“You sayin’ you wanna be partners?”</p>
<p>Beth pushes the door open wide and steps aside. “I’m willing to give it a try.”</p>
<p>
  <em>End.</em>
</p>
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